New Animal Chiropractor in Orillia, ON
Dr. Sarah Donaldson is a Certified Animal Chiropractor who has been passionate about animals since her youth. With 20+ years of hands-on experience working with horses she is incredibly comfortable and experienced at caring for them. She understands it can be difficult to know whether your pet may benefit from seeing an animal chiropractor. Below are some signals to watch for to help you decide if it’s time to make a call to have your pet looked at.
Things to look for in your animals that would warrant a consult:
Dog Chiropractic Care
- Knuckling/difficulty stepping correctly with a certain limb
- Excessive chewing/licking of a certain paw/limb
- Difficulty getting in/out of vehicles or elevated surfaces
- Difficulty with stairs
- Bunny hopping/moving with hindlimbs very close together
- Sudden change in behaviour
- Change in sensitivity to touch/being handled
Horse Chiropractic Care
- Tripping more frequently
- Carrying/tilting head to one side
- Not tracking up evenly
- Pinning ears/tail swishing/teeth grinding when being groomed or worked
- Difficulty with leads (cross-firing/swapping/trouble picking them up)
- Bunny hopping/ moving with hindlimbs very close together
- Sudden change in behaviour – spooking/aggression
If you have concerns about your four-legged friends that aren’t listed above, please don’t hesitate to contact our clinic.
Animal Chiropractic FAQs
What can I expect at appointments?
At an initial assessment, you can expect a thorough health history, physical examination, and if warranted, review of any diagnostic imaging provided. We will then discuss options for treatment moving forward and what you feel would be best. Treatment may include any, or a combination of: Soft tissue therapy, joint mobilizations, joint manipulations (adjustments) as well as pain coaching or exercise/movement prescription.
At a subsequent appointment, you can expect that we will continue with the treatments above that work the best for you, getting you back to the things you love.
What is animal chiropractic?
Chiropractic care can vary, however, at In-Stride, the focus is on your four-legged partner. It is an excellent adjunctive form of care when utilized correctly, and “adjustments” or “manipulations” are only a potential portion of care. A thorough history and physical exam are conducted to ensure no further evaluation is warranted, and that the complaint is truly musculoskeletal in origin. From there, we build a program of care that caters to the patient, which might include: patient education, soft tissue therapy, mobilizations, spinal manipulation, and rehabilitative movement/exercise programs.
Who can benefit from your care?
Anyone who has pain/discomfort!
We typically work a lot with chronic pain patients that have been through the system and haven’t found a long-term solution. We also help coach individuals through acute pain flare-ups, getting them back to their activities as soon as possible.
With animals, we apply similar principles and develop plans to help improve comfort and strength through discipline-specific tasks. In addition, we assist family pets to feel more comfortable and confident with daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and jumping.
Mobile Animal Chiropractor Services
We offer mobile equine chiropractic services to the Orillia, Simcoe County, and Muskoka, ON areas. For travel rates, please click here.